Gitanjali Devi (Ileana D’Cruz) is a reluctant heiress to a Rajput kingdom who wants all the wealth with no responsibilities. Dressed in translucent chiffon saris and pearls, and sporting an immaculate hairdo, she is the only remotely interesting character in Baadshaho. But even a character inspired by the gorgeous Maharani Gayatri Devi has to take a backseat if you have Ajay Devgn in the midst. The actor (looking bored for most part) plays Gitanjali’s fearless bodyguard Bhavani who is smitten with her and follows her decree. His mantra for life: Char din ki zindagi hai, aur aaj chautha din ha, yehi sochkar zindagi nikaal li. Viewers, on the other hand, will struggle to spend the coming two hours in the theatre.

When Rani Sahiba needs Bhavani’s assistance to save her kingdom’s undisclosed jewels from a politician reminiscent of Sanjay Gandhi, Bhavani steps in and ropes in an expert locksmith (Sanjay Mishra) and resourceful ruffian Dalia (Emraan Hashmi) for the job. Esha Gupta joins the plot to keep Dalia some company, though the excuse here is that she is indebted to Gitanjali. The quartet’s foe arrives in the form of Major Seher Singh (Vidyut Jammwal) who the government has deputed to drive the heavily-armoured monster truck full of jewels from Rajasthan to Delhi. A duel begins between Bhavani and the Major. The proceedings are as lifeless as the desert landscape the film unfolds in.
Viewers will be forgiven for forgetting that Baadshaho is an Emergency-set drama for Luthria seems least interested in looking at the troubled state of civil liberties in the era. Instead, you will see a Life magazine cover featuring Gitanjali and bell-bottoms and sleeves to remind you this is the 1970s. As the chase begins, the film loses momentum. The plot twist can be called from afar, rendering the whole journey and the final destination entirely meaningless. The nonstop action is a distraction for a lack of narrative. Luthria’s great truck robbery is a thriller without thrills.

Geetanjali’s confidant and lover Bhawani (Ajay Devgn) is determined to hijack the truck full of gold on its way to Delhi. Dalia (Emraan Hashmi), Guruji (Sanjai Mishra) and Sanjana (Esha Gupta) are part of his team. But there is a mole among them who might change the game.

It’s an old-fashioned story set in an era when the royals were concerned about the fate of their private banks. There are mentions of Sholay and Thakur in case you still don’t get the era right.